Jules Verne – 19th-century French novelist, author of “Around the World in Eighty Days” and “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas”. Known as the father of science fiction, he anticipated many modern inventions. His works profoundly shaped adventure and speculative fiction worldwide.
🚢 Fascinated by travel, though he mostly explored through imagination. 📚 Wrote 62 novels in the “Extraordinary Voyages” series. 🔭 Predicted submarines, lunar missions, and space capsules. 💡 In “From the Earth to the Moon”, he launched from Florida – a century before NASA. 🎭 His plays were popular for a time but later forgotten. 📖 Worked 14–15 hours daily with relentless discipline. 📜 His publisher Hetzel heavily edited his works, sometimes altering endings. 🌍 The most translated French author in the world. ⚡ In 1886, his nephew shot him in the leg, leaving him lame for life. 🕊️ Served on Amiens’ city council, supporting education and theatre. 😂 Curious: terrified of sea voyages despite writing endlessly about them. 😅 Funny fact: at age 11 he ran away to become a cabin boy “to buy coral for his mother.”